By Robert A. Waters
On September 7, 2023, ABC channel KSTP-TV reported that
Democratic Farmer Labour Party second vice chairwoman Shivanthi Sathanandan
was “injured after being attacked by a group of armed men who carjacked her in
the driveway of her Folwell neighborhood home…”
Shivanthi described the attack in brutal detail. I'm publishing this remarkable statement verbatim: “Yesterday my children and I were violently car jacked in the driveway of our home in Minneapolis. Four very young men, all carrying guns, beat me violently down to the ground in front of our kids. The young men held our neighbors up at gunpoint when they ran over and tried to help me. All in broad daylight.
“Look at my face in the picture. This is the face of a mother who just had the sh-t beaten out of her. A mother whose only thought was, ‘let me run far enough and fight hard enough so that my kids have a chance to get away.’ This is the face of a mother who just listened to her four year old daughter screaming non-stop, her 7 year old son wailing for someone to come help because bad guys are murdering his Mama in the back yard, her neighbors screaming in outrage…all while being beaten with guns and kicks and fists.
“I have a broken leg, deep lacerations on my head, bruising and cuts all over my body.
“And I have rage.
“These men knew what they were doing. I have NO DOUBT they have done this before. Yet they are still on OUR STREETS. Killing mothers. Giving babies psychological trauma that a lifetime of therapy cannot erase. With no hesitation and no remorse.
“I’m now part of the statistics. I wasn’t silent when I fought these men to save my life and my babies, and I won’t be silent now. We need to get illegal guns off our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM.
“PERIOD.
“Look at my face. REMEMBER ME when you are thinking of letting juveniles and young people out of custody to roam our streets instead of HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
“You could have been reading the obituary for me and my children today. But instead I’m here. To write this.
“Look at my face. These criminals will not win. We need to
take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this.
“Thank you to the incredible Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Frey, Chief O’Hara, Paramedics, neighbors, friends and DFL family, who all came to our aide during this terrifying experience. I’m so grateful for this community that wraps us in love.”
“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department. Say it with me.
“DISMANTLE…The…Minneapolis…Police…Department.
“As allies, what can we do right now. LISTEN and LEARN from our Black siblings. And then AMPLIFY this message right now, in this moment. MPD has systematically failed the Black Community, they have failed ALL OF US. Its time to build a new infrastructure that works for ALL communities. If you are still disagreeing with that BASIC FACT, I don’t know what to say to you.”
On November 2, 2021, USA Today reported “Minneapolis residents voted not to replace the city’s police department.”
Two days after the carjacking, Minneapolis police located Shivanthi’s abandoned car. It's not known if police have identified or arrested the carjackers.
Unlike many who have called out Shivanthi’s “hypocrisy,” I’m saddened by the attack on her and her family. For a mother to have been beaten by four thugs in front of her young children is horrendous. She’s right, those kids will likely suffer trauma for a lifetime. She's also right that her attackers are likely hardened criminals who have violently assaulted others. And she's right in calling for these attackers to be severely punished. There’s no excuse for such violence.
Here’s hoping those who committed this act will be found quickly. And I hope Shivanthi and her children make a full recovery.
Robert A. Waters is the author of Guns and Self-Defense, written with co-author Sim Waters. For more than 30 years, Waters has researched “righteous” defensive shootings. He has penned four books describing in detail many of those cases. If this story intrigued you, check out our book. Chapter 4 recounts the true story of a black female Milwaukee nurse who used her concealed carry pistol to single-handedly stop a violent carjacking ring. The night before, the carjackers had shot an innocent man, shattering his jaw in an attempt steal his vehicle. In addition to this exciting case, our book describes two dozen more inspiring stories of ordinary citizens who used guns to save their own lives or the lives of others.
If she had had a gun, it would have never happened.
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